Be Careful When You Bite Me

Chapter 18

Damon!” She screamed out, planting kisses all along his face,” I’m so happy to see you!”

Damon returned the hug with less enthusiasm and I found myself suddenly wondering who she was to

him.

“Luna,” he greeted,” it’s a shame we have to meet under these circumstances.”

They pulled back from each other and Luna turned her previously enlightened gaze to meet with mines.

She looked doubtful and sarcastic.

“So this is the foreigner?” She asked Damon, still looking at me.

I gulped nervously.

Damon took a hesitate and almost nervous look at me and smiled at Lunda,” yes it is.”

“Well, come in.”

Inside, her apartment was small and cozy. A black velvet couch took up most of the living room. Plants

hung by pot holders dangling from the ceiling and about a dozen pillar candles lined the corners of the

apartment.

I could see part of her kitchen in the back where a small black cat hid behind an appliance, watching

me.

Following my gaze, Luna said,” That’s Jinx, he’s friendly....most of the time.”

I forced a smile and figured it be better if I behaved myself if there was any chance that she was willing

to help me.

“He’s adorable,” I replied softly.

Damon took a seat on the couch and it was almost odd to see him in a setting that was so humane. He

stuck out like a sore thumb and anybody within a hundred meters could tell you that he did not belong.

I sat beside him and watched as Lunda opened up a bottle of red wine and poured it into some

glasses.

She reached out to hand Damon a glass who took it without a second thought and she did the same

me.

“I’m not 21-“ I began.

“Drink it,” she insisted.

I nodded and took the glass from between her fingers, bringing it up to my lips and taking a sip of the

rich and bitter wine.

“So Damon,” Luna sat on the L shaped part of the couch, facing me and Damon,” I have to admit it

makes me sad that you chose now to come visit me, when you reached out I thought you had

something else in mind.”

She sipped on her wine and in her hands it looked like a million dollars.

“I meant to reach out sooner, but things haven’t been so smooth at the castle and what you see here,”

he pointed his chin in my direction,” is an example.”

“I assume it was Seth who got you into this mess.”

Damon smirked slightly,” Of course. He had just turned eighteen a few weeks ago, he had been trying

out his new powers and she-“

“Was collateral damage,” Lunda finished his sentence.

He nodded in disappointment,” You see why I need you, father does not have much say with the

witches ever since-“

“Ever since he tried to kill one of us for mating with a blood sucker,” Luna hissed out.

Damon’s gaze hardened,” yes, so as you can imagine, it’s a little difficult getting a witch to perform the

ritual of obliteration. We have no more credibility with the witches.”

“If your father keeps going at the rate that he’s going, soon enough he won’t have credibility with all

The Underworld,” Luna’s words were almost like a threat.

“He’s the King, you think that would mean something in this city-“ Damon began but Luna cut him off.

“He’s your King, not ours.”

Damon nodded but remained silent.

Luna’s gaze trailed over my body and she looked me up and down, her eyes resting at the bites on my

neck.

“Does she taste good?”

“I wouldn’t know,” Damon answered, sparing me a quick glance,” that wasn’t me.”

She chuckled,” Looks like someone else at the castle had enjoyed having her around, perhaps the

King,” she winked towards Damon.

“It wasn’t the King-“

“Perhaps your rule-breaking brothers, or that mischievous Isabelle-“

My focus asserted at the mention of Isabelle name and I was surprised to know that she knew Isabelle.

I wondered what she meant by mischievous and if she knew how mischievous Isabelle really was.

Damon cut Luna off before she could continue,” Luna, can you help me or not?”

“Why does this matter so much to you Damon?”

The look in Luna’s eyes were almost suspicious. Damon stared into hers without looking away and

remained silent. I glanced between the both of them and wondered if I should answer for him.

Because the King thinks that it’s Damon’s fault I’m here, because Damon took the blame for Seth.

Because if he doesn’t figure out a way to get rid of me soon, the King might decide to dethrone him.

Because Seth and Isabelle are going to do everything in their power to make Damon look unfit to be

King and Damon doesn’t know it.

When Damon answered, it was almost as if he were King already.

“A foreign human in a castle of young and inexperienced blood thirsty vampires leaves too much room

for rebellion,” his teeth weren’t gritted but he spoke as if they were,” if the council were to find out of

this, there would be serious consequence.”

Luna’s lips lifted into a smile,” they might stake your brothers...or you if you continue to take the blame

for them both.”

I looked towards Damon with sad eyes and realized that this must have been a regular thing for him to

do, taking the blame for something his brothers did.

I wondered why he did it and wondered how his siblings turned out to be so different from him.

A sudden image of him twisting the wooden sword inside of the jester sprung into my mind and I

reminded myself that maybe he wasn’t to different.

“Can you help me or not Luna,” Damon finally asked.

She nodded and stood up, setting her wine glass on the island of her kitchen,” wait here.”

She disappeared into the back of the apartment and Damon and I sat in an uncomfortable silence.

“W-what’s going to happen next?” I asked, almost afraid to.

“I’m not sure,” his voice was soothing and I was almost relieved at the sound of it.

“If it works, will I just forget? How will I get home, would I pass out? M-my car-“

He cut me off when his cold hands cupped mines in a sudden movement.

“Don’t worry about any of that. If this works, I’ll get you home safely.”

I simply nodded and became more aware of his hands on mine. I didn’t want to look up at his face

because I knew I wouldn’t be able to look away. I tried to shrug off the part of me that was disappointed Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

for having to finally bid this life farewell.

I knew I would miss Damon the most but I didn’t know why. I also began to wonder if he had a

personality disorder or if the stress of life was simply too much for him to keep a straight mood.

I wanted to bring up Seth and Isabelle again, I wanted to warn him but I knew it wasn’t the time. I had

already tried once and it didn’t work. Who’s to say this time it would. Maybe this time, because I’m not

inside a wet and murky cell, I had nothing to gain out of telling him a lie. Maybe this time, he’d believe

me.

Luna came out with a medium sized black crystal ball and I thought about how much of the fairy tales

they would tell us as kids were true. She placed the ball carefully on the kitchen table and to my

surprise, it stayed put. She lifted up a long manicured nail and gestured for me to come.

Damon recalled his hands and I stood up hesitantly and walked towards the kitchen table.

“Sit,” Luna instructed as if talking to a puppy.

I simply obeyed

Damon began to stand up but he quickly sat back down when Luna snapped,” You, stay.”

She sat on the seat across from me,” place both your hands around the ball and when it starts to heat

up, don’t move.”

I nodded and obeyed. My heart began to thud whilst in my chest and I grew nervous.

The smooth cold exterior of the crystal ball began to warm up slowly as it lightened in colour.

I watched in fascination as the colours changed, transitioning between dark purple and orange.

Luna placed her hands across side of the crystal ball, her eyes glued to the movement of colour.

I looked up to see that she was completely dozed off, the fiery shade of the ball reflecting almost

completely in her eyes.

She held no expression.

I almost wanted to turn around and glance at Damon for reassurance but I didn’t. I grew more nervous

the faster the colours began to change.

Luna’s fingers started to quiver and I wondered if that was normal.

The flashing colours began to finally slow down and I watched in complete fascination as the a drawing

formed.

As if being drawn internally, a symbol formed almost resembling an arrow. When the drawing was

complete, it glistening in gold and I could tell that it was indeed, an arrow. Flames blared out from the

tip of the sword.

A burning arrow.

“Eros,” Luna breathed out the word so slightly I could hardly hear her,” The Mark of Eros.”